Hatcher has close ties with the Dodgers organization: He played for them in two separate periods during his career -- 1979-80 and 1987-90. He was a pivotal member of their 1988 World Series team, and during both stints was a teammate of catcher Mike Scioscia.

When Scioscia got the job as Angels manager before the 2000 season, he hired Hatcher as hitting coach, and Hatcher stayed in that position until May 15, when he was fired by GM Jerry Dipoto. The Angels were 16-21 at that point, and many of the team's hitters, most notably Albert Pujols, were struggling at the plate.

In his new job with the Dodgers, Hatcher "will devote time helping with player development as well as assisting the Major League staff," the Dodgers said in a statement.

The Angels, of course, don't like all this chatter, as if it's unthinkable that a team would side with a player guaranteed $240 million over a coach who's as expendable as a sunflower seed. Hey, given the choice, Halos, we would have done the same thing.

Not even the Angels, though, can dispute that Pujols' performance escorted Hatcher to the door. Had Pujols produced at anything close to his career numbers the Angels wouldn't be where they are today. Instead, they'd be second in the American League West, measuring the Texas Rangers rather than sitting in third squinting to make out the faint image in first place.

Dunn will be at Angel Stadium on Wednesday with the Chicago White Sox. Though he and Pujols are friends and it's admirable for Dunn to want to help his buddy, we're not sure this meeting is such a good idea.

Among the things Pujols needs right now, hanging around with a guy who hit .159 last season and was six plate appearances short of qualifying for the lowest batting average in major league history isn't be high on the list.

With the Angels' offense failing to perform up to preseason expectations, hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was relieved of his duties by the Angels following Tuesday's game. Triple-A Salt Lake hitting coach Jim Eppard will replace him, likely on an interim basis.

"We think the absolute world of Mickey as a person and thank him for all of his contributions to this organization," Angels GM Jerry Dipoto said in a written release announcing the move following Tuesday's game.

"Sometimes in the sports world a point is reached where perhaps a new voice is needed in order to attain the desired goals and objectives. Unfortunately, we feel this is one of those times. Offensively, we have underachieved and everyone shares in the responsibility of what has transpired thus far."

The Angels rank in the bottom half of the American League in most offensive categories this season and have been shut out a major-league leading eight times in the first 37 games of the season. Only the Minnesota Twins and Oakland A's have scored fewer runs.

Hatcher, 57, had been on the Angels' coaching staff since Mike Scioscia became manager in 2000. His 13-year tenure was the longest of any hitting coach in the majors this season.

An Associated Press report that Angels slugger Albert Pujols was “irked” Monday night that hitting coach Mickey Hatcher had shared some fairly innocuous details of that day's pregame hitting meeting with the media has not caused any friction between the two Angels, Manager Mike Scioscia said before Tuesday's game at Angel Stadium.

Pujols did not speak with reporters before Tuesday's game. Hatcher, headed to the field from the dugout before the game, said, “Albert doesn't want to talk about it,” and tried to make light of the situation with a big of laughter.

You expect optimism from Bobby Abreu. A guy who's 38 and hitting .127 in spring training might not have much left to cling to except absolute confidence in his own abilities.

What makes it seem more real is that Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher backs him up on this. Hatcher says Abreu really is swinging the bat well, and he remembers the day when his aging slugger started turning it around. It was a week or 10 days ago, Hatcher says: He took Abreu to a separate patch of grass at Tempe Diablo Stadium, and someone threw batting practice to him.

"Something clicked with him, and he's been taking it into games," Hatcher said in the Angels' clubhouse before Tuesday night's game at Dodger Stadium, the second of three preseason Freeway Series games. It's like the old Bobby."

After the worst season of his career, Vernon Wells decided he needed "a full do-over" -- an overhaul of his swing and approach at the plate. That approach had become far too one-dimensional last season, pull-happy and suited only to hitting the occasional mistake.

So he went looking for help and hired Rudy Jaramillo, the former Rangers/current Cubs hitting coach, to work with him near Wells' off-season home in the Dallas area. Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher has his critics and they no doubt will take this as a slight towards him by Wells.

Not Hatcher.

"Not at all," Hatcher said. "When I was a player, I had coaches that I liked working with who were close by (to where he lived). Rudy's a good friend of mine. Rudy's a great hitting coach. Vernon needed to work on some things during the off-season and he needed somebody close by to do it with."

With the Dodgers sinking further into the morass created by owner Frank McCourt every day, there was a reminder of another bungled part of that franchise's past on display at Angel Stadium with Davey Johnson's return to managing for the first time since he left the Dodgers dugout in 2000.

Johnson managed the Dodgers for two forgettable seasons (1999-2000). In his return, his first opponent was the Angels and Mike Scioscia -- the man that many (including Scioscia himself, though he would never say it) thought would have the job Johnson got in 1999.

Scioscia had spent the previous two seasons as the bench coach on Bill Russell's staff with the Dodgers when then-GM Kevin Malone (the “new sheriff in town”) chose to replace Russell with Johnson.

Johnson said he wanted to keep Scioscia on his coaching staff when he took over the Dodgers in 1999. But Scioscia clearly had other career goals.